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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · spring · march · rule · chest · charge · current · mouse

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. march — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. current — happening now
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — the season
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. charge — in control
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — of water
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chest — a box
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com